Burundi — Ninga Hill

Tastes Like — 🍋 Lime Juice • 🍵 White Tea • 🌼 Jasmine Pearls

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DETAILS

• Producers: Local producers surrounding Ninga washing station
• Washing Station: Ninga
• Region: Kayanza, Burundi
• Varietals: Field Blend
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1900 masl
• Size: 125g

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INTRO — Built to Serve a High-Potential Region

Sitting beside the Nkokoma River at 1,900 metres above sea level, Ninga washing station represents Long Miles Coffee Project's strategic expansion. Previously, farmers in this area needed to travel all the way to Bukeye to deliver cherries—a journey that discouraged selective picking and compromised quality. After recognising the immense quality potential of the region, Long Miles built Ninga to centralise production and reduce farmers' commute, unlocking the exceptional coffee this area can produce.

The cup delivers bright, citrus-forward character: loud and juicy lime acidity whilst hot—nearly veering into key lime pie territory—balanced by lovely white tea notes through the centre. As it cools, green tea and jasmine pearls rise to the surface and linger long on the finish. This is Burundian coffee showcasing its brightest, most tea-like expression.

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THE PRODUCER — Smallholders & Strategic Washing Station Placement

Ninga washing station serves local producers who previously faced significant challenges delivering cherries to Bukeye. The distance meant farmers had to choose between making multiple trips during harvest season (time-consuming and exhausting) or waiting to accumulate enough cherries for one journey (compromising freshness and quality as cherries sat waiting for transport).

Long Miles' decision to build Ninga demonstrates their commitment to actualising Burundi's quality potential. When they recognised that this region possessed exceptional terroir but lacked processing infrastructure, they invested in building a washing station rather than accepting lower quality from difficult-to-reach farms. This philosophy—bringing infrastructure to quality rather than expecting quality to find infrastructure—has been central to Long Miles' success.

The Nkokoma River location provides essential water access for processing whilst the 1,900-metre elevation positions the washing station at the same altitude as the surrounding farms. This high-altitude terroir contributes to the bright acidity and tea-like characteristics that define this lot.

The field blend of Red Bourbon and Mibirizi reflects traditional Burundian farming, where multiple varieties grow together creating natural complexity. Each farmer contributing cherries to Ninga may have slightly different varietal proportions, microclimates, and cultivation practices—diversity that Long Miles manages through rigorous quality control and processing precision.

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THE PROCESS — Rigorous Burundian Washed Method

Ninga employs the same rigorous processing standards that Long Miles applies across all their washing stations, ensuring consistent quality regardless of location:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Farmers pick only ripe cherries, now with convenient access to Ninga
• 🌊 Flotation — Cherries floated to remove defects and underripes
• 👐 Hand Sorting — Manual quality control ensuring only premium cherries proceed
• ⚙️ Depulping — Mechanical removal of skin and fruit
• 💧 Fermentation — Controlled fermentation breaking down mucilage
• 🌊 Washing Channels — Multiple washing stages removing all mucilage
• ⚖️ Density Grading — Parchment separated by density for quality consistency
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Traditional African raised beds with regular turning

The proximity to farms matters more than it might seem. When farmers can deliver cherries the same day they're picked—rather than accumulating them over days—processing begins with fresher fruit. This freshness preserves the bright, clean characteristics evident in this lot. The loud lime acidity and tea-like clarity suggest cherries processed within hours of harvest rather than after days of storage.

The density grading ensures only the highest-quality beans make it into premium lots. Combined with the high-altitude terroir and fresh processing, this creates the vibrant, citrus-forward profile that distinguishes Ninga from Long Miles' other washing stations.

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THE VARIETALS — Red Bourbon & Mibirizi Expression

The field blend of Red Bourbon and Mibirizi creates interesting complexity. Red Bourbon brings Burundi's traditional sweetness and body, whilst Mibirizi contributes brightness and potentially more pronounced tea-like characteristics. The combination expresses beautifully in this lot—enough body to carry the intense lime acidity without thinness, enough brightness to create that key lime pie character.

At 1,900 metres, both varieties benefit from cool temperatures and slow cherry maturation. The altitude contributes significantly to the bright acidity and tea-like qualities that define this coffee. High-altitude Red Bourbon often shows more citrus and less caramel than lower-elevation lots, whilst Mibirizi's characteristics become more pronounced with elevation.

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THE CUP — Key Lime Pie Transitioning to Jasmine Tea

This cup showcases Burundian coffee at its brightest and most tea-like. The evolution from hot to cool is dramatic—starting with intense citrus, settling into balanced white tea, finishing with green tea and jasmine elegance. It's coffee that rewards patience, revealing different characteristics at different temperatures.

Flavour Notes

• 🍋 Lime Juice — loud, juicy lime acidity dominating whilst hot
• 🍵 White Tea — lovely tea notes balancing the acidity through the centre
• 🌼 Jasmine Pearls — jasmine tea character rising as the cup cools

The lime juice character whilst hot is genuinely loud—bright, juicy, almost aggressive in its intensity. There's enough acidity here to nearly veer into key lime pie territory, that particular combination of tart lime and creamy sweetness. White tea notes through the centre provide crucial balance, tempering the lime without diminishing it.

As the cup cools, the profile transforms beautifully. Green tea characteristics rise to the surface alongside jasmine pearls—those distinctive rolled green tea leaves with jasmine flowers that create such aromatic, delicate tea. These tea notes linger long on the finish, creating an elegant conclusion to what begins as a citrus bomb.

The body is clean and medium-light, appropriate for the bright, tea-like character. The acidity is the star here—structured, vibrant, and evolving throughout the temperature range. The finish is long and refreshing, with those jasmine tea notes extending beautifully.

This lot from Ninga washing station demonstrates why Long Miles recognised the region's quality potential and invested in infrastructure. The bright, clean, citrus-forward character here differs from the syrupy oolong expression of Mutana Hill—proving that Burundi's terroir diversity allows for multiple expressions when processing infrastructure meets exceptional raw material. Ninga is now unlocking quality that was always present but previously inaccessible.

What is the roast recency?

We recommend brewing with beans that are at least two weeks off roast. All beans are roasted to peak flavour at around 6-12 weeks. We have the option to either purchase standard beans (at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 weeks off roast), or rested beans (at least 7 weeks off roast, no longer than 12 - should we have any left in stock!). For peak flavour, if you are looking to use immediately, we recommend purchasing the rested beans. If you are adding to your rotation of beans, we recommend purchasing the standard and allowing the beans to naturally rest and mature whilst you rotate through other beans.